The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-08-27

is now at the very forefront of that Or
its main>tay and adviser,
its manipulation aud chief engineer, in
short, 'sthe ring hoss."
Now, (would you believe it, Mr..
Edilor?) this gentleman, the author OF
the ring article in the Bulletin OF July
6, the Supposed author of "a New
Question: IA the LIST Bulletin, the re.
puted '.ring bCss," is the father of the
idea eff excluding the negroes from par
ticipation in Democratic primaries in
this parish! Twelve months ago he
began the agitation of this new ques-
ton. At that date none was so vehe.
lnent as he in denouDcing the ring and
its methods; none complained more
bitterly than he of the slavery of poli-
tics in Ou"chita parish none could
equal him in the expression of indtg-
nation at the afrront thus put upon free
white manhood and intelligent Amer
lean citizenship. He was for uniting
the white people of the parish in oppo'
siii0n TO the ring; he was for forming u
strictly white club in each ward and
no one was to be recognized as Dem
ocrat, or to be allowed to participate in
Democratic primaries, who was not
member of one of these clubs; he was
for proceeding to any lengths to crush
the ring and free the people from this
political slavery. According to him
this could be done only by excluding
the negroes, because, while it was no.
torious that the negroes were opposed
to the ring, yet the ring could 50 work
upon their fear of personal violence that
they would be made to vote in the pri-
maries against what their inclination
aud their judgment dictated. These
were the arguments he used short
twelve months ago-and yet-now he
is the "ring MASTER"
What arc we to think of such Il teto.
tai and sudden conversion? The most
charitable construction to be put upon
such vascillntion in politics is that the
gentleman is of II very mercuriai tens
permanent. The arguments he used
then were strong, unanswerable-they
arc just as strong and unanswerable to-
day.
This gentleman says Gf we are right
in surprising him to be the author of a
"a New Question') tina, he now sees
no reason, either of principle or policy,
why the negro should not be allowed
to choose between respectable citizens
who are candidates for office. l echo
this sentiment. There is no reason,
except that supplied by the ring, and
which was urged by the gentle man
twelve months ago.
AS for the explanations that our rep.
Resentatives and Senators in Congress
may be able to give Of the negro ques,
ton, I do not think our author need
frOuhle himself ahOut them
AS to the effect that this agitation
may have on State and national poli-
tics, I, as a Democrat, certainly feel as
much interest in it as the gentleman
does. But the Democratic party Of
Ouachita parish cannot afford to stultify
itself longer by seeming to AZ prove of
methods which are destructive of
Dem ocracy, and which a short time
since were denounced in the severest
terms by the gentleman himself. AS
future as we'll as to the present, and it
would be the extreme of folly for US to
continue to permit the seeds of great
party disaster to be rccklessly sown,
without making an earnest and honest
effort to stay such madness.
The editor of the Bulletin complains
that I am calling on him TO seat III ore
crow" If he had been as careful as he
was sensitive in reading that part of
my communication he would have
found no such ground for complaint.
The Bulletin, as newspaper, and not
its editor, was called on to eat the crow
The editor of the Bulletin cri,icises
my suggestion that representation in
party conventions he basel on the
white vote of the paris'. Now, Mr..
Editor, this suggestion was the result
of careful and earnest thought on my
part. In the first place, ii would be a
! recognition of that portion of the parish
where the backbone and sinews of the
Democratic party are found. In this
respect it is no new idea. The Demo-
cratic parish convention of 1872 was
composed of 81 delegates from east Of
the Ouachita, and % delegates from
the hill wards. 1t is true there was
but faint prospect of any offices to dis
tribute by that convention, but none
the-less was ii Democratic conven.
! ton, truly representative of the strug-
Cling Democratic party, and the prip-
ciple upon which it was constructed
should be the principle upon which
Democratic conventions in this day of
party triumph should he constructed.
What would the wards east of the
Ouachita have to complain of in the
two of them, the first and fourth, lose
representation. The other two, the
! second and third, both gain.